Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Agriculture Real Estate??

I am interested in knowing any thoughts on what farmers are looking for from an ag real estate ad or realtor. I want to know the type of person you might want to be looking on your behalf and what type of qualifications they  have to help you.

- is it better that they tell you right out about their farming experience or should they prove it to you through their use of knowledge

- How do you go about finding farm land, hobby farm land, or acres with a home on it?

Any thoughts and advice would be great :)

mac

Views: 186

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on July 4, 2011 at 9:45am

Hi Mackenna,

If you are looking at farmland, I would stick with someone who knows agriculture.

We have alot of good members on www.realestate.farms.com website.

Hope this helps,

Joe

 

Permalink Reply by David Kopriva on July 5, 2011 at 3:55am

What great questions.

First of all if you are selling a farm you have to prove its viability especially if it is an existing operation. Too many realtors are very inexperienced when it comes to selling the business end of the farm. They show the houses but nothing on  the operation and cash flow statements. Can't live on a farm if it is not viable. Another argument that can be used by the realtor is to state that it is the future owners responsibility to envision the farms future. This is true only if it is not an ongoing operation. Even if it is an annual crop that was grown on the land a realtor should have detailed information on the crops grown on the land for the past 5 years and types of fertilizer and herbicides used. The realtor should also have detailed soils survey from the current owner if the current owner farms the land. Any farmer worth his/her salt has this information on a split second notice ( or at least should have). This type of information can help sell the operation and also get a premium for the farm.

Permalink Reply by Mackenna Roth on July 5, 2011 at 4:02am

Thanks to both of you.

 

Joe - I am looking to see what qualities a person might look for in a person who sells AG real estate vs actually buying farmland.

 

David - thank you for the information. It is very true that with farm real estate you need to know as much about the land as you do the buildings on it.

 

Mackenna

Permalink Reply by John Schwartzentruber on July 5, 2011 at 6:29am

If I were buying a farm, I'm not sure that I would take the realtor's or the vendor's word on the viability of the farm. After all who's responsibility is it to know what will work?

 

Furthermore, it would be interesting to assess the stand-alone viability of many of the farms that have sold in this area in the past year or more. Growing legal crops, that is . . .

Permalink Reply by Greg Edwards on July 6, 2011 at 6:50am

I am not a farmer, but I do plan on buying arable land in the mid-term and perhaps in the long term farming such land. 

 

To date I have made several serious enquiries about certain parcels of land, while I don't know much about farming I know enough to ask some basic questions regarding crop history, soil samples and typical yields.  Every realtor I have asked these questions of either did not know the information or stated that such information would be provided on making an offer.  Sorry, but both excuses are weak.  I kind of want to know that information up front when considering a purchase.

 

I should say that my father has been in the real estate business for close to 40 years.  He has never really sold farms or arable land.  If he listed such property he may not know enough about the business end of the operations to speak to them with any confidence. 

 

I think there may be a need for realtors with expertise in farming, but to effectively do so they would have to have enough business to make specialization worthwhile.

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency Scholarship Winner

The Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off Agency is pleased to announce that Ryan Trefiak of Edgerton, AB has been awarded the 2026 $2000 scholarship. Ryan is pursuing studies in Agricultural Systems Technologies at Iowa State University. This year’s judging panel noted they were impressed by the quality and dedication of all candidates, making the selection process a difficult one. Since its launch, the scholarship program has grown into one of the Agency’s most wide-reaching communications initiatives, connecting with students across the beef industry and helping support the next generation of leaders in Canadian agriculture. Congratulations, Ryan! We wish you continued success in your studies.

Field Week: Covering distance, literally and academically

There is only so much environmental science that can be learned in a classroom or science lab. Field experience is woven throughout Lakeland College’s environmental sciences programs, with labs taking place in the natural spaces on and around campus throughout the year. Each year, however, that experience is intensified during Field Week. That’s when second-year environmental sciences students find themselves knee-deep in the river electrofishing, setting up and checking small mammal traps, deploying autonomous recording units, constructing bat houses, capturing, banding and releasing songbirds, reading soil profiles, touring mine sites and assessing wetlands. “I love the hands-on experience,” says Mackenzie Hamm, a second-year environmental sciences student majoring in wildlife and fisheries conservation. “We’ve got to learn quite a few different things. It really brings into context what we’re learning in the classroom, so I can actually apply all of that theory that we’ve been doi

Growing the future: Judy Sweet invests in Lakeland’s ag students

Judy Sweet is continuing her longstanding support of Lakeland College agricultural sciences students by investing in the Student-Managed Farm (SMF) Lab Revitalization project. Sweet’s gift will support upgrades to the calving barn on the Vermilion campus farm, enhancing agricultural teaching, applied research, animal care and industry collaboration. The improvements will also strengthen facility functionality, sustainability and long-term operational capacity. “Judy Sweet’s generosity is an investment in the future of agriculture and in the students who will lead it,” says Dr. Alice Wainwright-Stewart, president and CEO of Lakeland College. “Her continued support of Lakeland’s Student-Managed Farm helps us provide the modern facilities and hands-on learning experiences our students need to put their education into action. This gift will strengthen animal care, help advance applied research and prepare graduates to make a meaningful impact in this essential industry. We are deeply gra

Canada could add $5.4B to GDP by processing more of its crops at home: EY

Canada could generate up to $5.4 billion in additional GDP and support approximately 34,000 full-time-equivalent jobs by redirecting just 10 per cent of its raw crop exports to value-added processing here at home, according to new EY analysis released today by Protein Industries Canada. The findings come as the federal government has made domestic food processing a national priority through its National Food Security Strategy. The strategy calls for Canada to reduce its dependence on other countries by processing more of the food it grows and sets an explicit objective to increase domestic processing to strengthen self-sufficiency and drive economic growth. Canada already has an extraordinary foundation to build from. Its food and agriculture sector contributed $149.2 billion to GDP in 2024 and supported 2.3 million jobs, while Canada remains a leading producer of major crops including wheat, canola and corn. But too often, Canadian crops leave the country before the higher-value pro

Thiesse, Parman discuss farm economy, tight margins at Big Iron

Live from the Big Iron Farm and Construction Show on Wednesday, Sept. 16, Kent Thiesse, farm management analyst, and Bryon Parman, NDSU farm management specialist, joined the Red River Farm Network’s “Issues and Events Center” to discuss the farm economy and the tight margins farmers are dealing with. The conversation kicked off with both guests discussing their concerns when it comes to farm balance sheets heading into 2027. “I think there’s certainly some positivity out there in the markets,” Thiesse said. “We’ve seen a runup in both corn and soybean prices, even wheat prices. Unfortunately, we’ve also seen a runup in input costs, as well. Fertilizer costs a year ago at this time were a big concern. They’ve kind of leveled out, but they haven’t really come down much. “As we look forward and start running the pencil for next year, even with higher commodity prices, we’re maybe breakeven on soybeans and we’re in the red with corn based on the numbers I’ve looked at. We’re facing som

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service